“Churches are businesses. They require people of immense dedication and talent to run succesfully. Must they be paupers? Don’t we want gifted people to run organizations like this?”
There is a pretty big spread between pauper and the excessive salary. I believe there is lots of room to pay a good salary without going to either extreme.
So we only want people willing to work for pennies or those incapable of earning top pay?
CEOs have a unique set of skills, which is why people are willing to pay them. His pay wasn’t done in secret. I have no issue with it.
[[I believe there is lots of room to pay a good salary without going to either extreme.]]
Again, can you show where it’s wrong to be rich? Do we know how Franklin uses his salary? How can we sit un judgment when we have no clue about how he uses his salary? God promises wealth and prosperity all the time in His word under certain circumstances (most of which Franklin has met) And I’m sure Franklin takes the verse ‘to whom much is given, much is required’ very seriously. Can you honestly tell us that Franklin doesn’t infact use it for God’s glory? If you don’t know, then how can you sit in judgment of His salary?
All we need do is look at his life- look at his work to KNOW that he does not serve mammon- Have any of us sacrificed our lives to the extent that Franklin has to serve God?
It’s very likely that Franklin, with the help of God, is a great financial blessing to others around him- because God has been so generous to him, He in turn very likely is very generous to others- judging by his actions and his statements, and the fruit he exhibits, it’s not very hard to imagine that he is a blessing to others because God has blessed him so much
God has been pleased to make many people rich all down through history- and many of those he made rich used their wealth to further God’s word in myriad and various ways- and many of these rich were made rich because God knew they were honorable men and women who would use their wealth for the right things while also being able to enjoy their wealth themselves because it was provided by God.
[[In his discussion of Acts 2-5, Art Lindsley lists several examples from the New Testament of wealthy believers who gave generously to those in need. Among these Christians are:
•Joseph, called Barnabas (Acts 4:36-37)
•Dorcas (Acts 9:36)
•Cornelius (Acts 10:1)
•Sergius Paulus (Acts 13:6-12)
•Lydia (Acts 16:14-15)
•Jason (Acts 17:5-9)
•Aquila and Priscilla (Acts 18:2-3)
•Mnason of Cyprus (Acts 21:16)
•Philemon (Philemon 1)]]
[[Yes, it is perfectly fine for Christians to become wealthy; and there is nothing in the Bible that forbids Christians from gaining large amounts of money. The problem is that the love of money is the root of all sorts of evil (1 Tim. 6:10). Jesus said that you cannot serve both money and God at the same time: “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (wealth),” (Matt. 6:24). Jesus is not saying that it is sinful to be rich. Jesus is telling us that the problem is when Christians start putting their faith, hope, and security in their money (and it becomes their master) rather than God. At this point, they become idolaters and fail to serve the true God.]]
https://carm.org/questions/other-questions/it-okay-christians-rich
anyways- this thread has certainly cast a lot of stones, without knowing how Franklin uses his salary, some even going so far as to accuse him of ‘serving mammon’ DESPITE the clear evidence to the contrary- Personally I wouldn’t care if he made 50 million a year IF that was what God allowed him to make because I am confident, after watching him produce fruit the way he has, that God would have his reasons for allowing it